France Margaret Bélanger (EMBA’14) was recently appointed President of Sports and Entertainment for the Montréal Canadiens, owned by the CH Group. In an interview with La Presse, she shares her experience so far as the first woman to serve on the team’s executive committee.
Tony Guglielmin (BA’82, MBA’84) praises Desautels’ diverse, forward-thinking environment for helping propel him to success in business. As the SVP and Chief Financial Officer at Ballard Power Systems, he encourages future generations of McGill students to pursue lifelong learning and embrace change throughout their professional journey.
Midway through her doctoral thesis research at McGill, Anita Nowak (BCom’97, PhD’11) discovered a deep passion for supporting social and environmental innovators. With the encouragement of former faculty member Dr. Michael Hoechsmann, she zeroed in on empathy as the driving force for entrepreneurial success and developed a “Pedagogy of Empathic Action.” This early research continues to inform her work as a global expert in empathy and adjunct lecturer at Desautels.
Mathieu Darche (BCom’00) turned down an NCAA Division 1 hockey scholarship to study business management at McGill, but he never strayed far from the ice. As the current Director of Hockey Operations for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Darche is grateful to Desautels for equipping him with the tools he needed to turn his dual passion for hockey and business into a successful career.
Susan Riddell-Fitzpatrick (BCom’61) was one of only three women to graduate from McGill with a Commerce degree in 1961. She went on to become Chair of the Montreal Neurological Hospital Board from 1993 to 1995. Looking back, Riddell-Fitzpatrick is grateful for the space McGill has given her and her family members to make history and pursue their dreams.
According to Dr. Joanne Liu (IMHL'14), countries like Canada can accelerate the end of the pandemic by lending support to developing countries where vaccination rates are lower, and variants tend to originate. Liu feels “heartbroken” over missed opportunities to share vaccines with other countries but hasn’t been able to convince the Canadian government to change its approach.
Congratulations to Ronald Ajavon (IMPM’15) for receiving one of Francopresse’s 2021 Canadian Francophone Influential Personalities Awards. As the Director General of the Council of Fransaskois Schools, Ajavon spearheads social and political efforts to raise up new French-speaking schools throughout Saskatchewan.
In an interview with Radio Canada’s Maxime Coutié, Dr. Joanne Liu (MDCM'91, IMHL'14, DSc'16) outlines several potential challenges and solutions for another year of the COVID-19 pandemic. From Dr. Liu’s perspective, there will only be light at the end of the tunnel when wealthy countries like Canada share the vaccine with the rest of the world.
As the CEO and President of Canadian Red Cross, Conrad Sauve (IMHL’14) has a front-row seat to how climate change continues to wreak havoc through massive floods and extreme droughts. In a new episode of “The Current” podcast, Sauve advocates for a greater emphasis on disaster recovery in addition to emergency responses. From his perspective, a robust disaster response should include ongoing financial and social support for people who are rebuilding their lives, not just short-term supports.
When COVID-19 hit Canada, Catherine Dagenais (EMBA’18) successfully maintained employee and consumer operations at SAQ, Quebec’s liquor commission. As the government retailer’s CEO since 2018, Dagenais spearheaded company efforts to implement strict sanitary protocols and develop contactless delivery solutions to meet consumer needs. Under Dagenais’ innovative leadership, SAQ plays a pivotal role in giving back to Quebec, generating $35 million in weekly government revenue to fund schools, hospitals, and other services.
A new scholarship has been launched in honour of Devon Haye (BCom’20), who passed away after a long and courageous battle with lymphatic cancer.
Congratulations to Michael Cohen (BCom’15, GCPA'16) on receiving the Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting Teaching Award for Guest Lecturers.
This award recognizes excellence in teaching by guest GCPA lecturers. Excellent teaching can be demonstrated through a well-designed course, engaging in-class activities and materials, use of innovative teaching strategies, and a commitment to improving one's courses through feedback.
Two Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting (GCPA) participants Elizabeth Roy (BCom'20, GCPA'21) & Arye Richards (BCom’20, GCPA'21) have been named to the Honour Roll of the Common Final Exam (CFE) for their outstanding results.
In a new report supported by the Women's Entrepreneur Knowledge Hub out of Ryerson University, Prof. Patricia Hewlin and former Integrated Management fellows Sandra Urbina Chang (MBA’19), Fiorella Rojas Vizarreta, (MBA‘19) and Hoaran Wang (BCom’20) outline a two-part study on perceptions and attitudes towards supplier diversity.
A new school for First Nations leaders was launched on Nov. 25, ahead of the Grand Economic Circle of Indigenous People and Quebec, which took place this past Nov. 25 and 26. Initiated by First Nations, this new school is propelled by Executive Education HÉC Montréal and will welcome its first cohort starting December 9, 2021.
